Drawer slide and latch construction



April 3, 1945. s. c. HOLSTON DRAWER SLIDE AND LATCH CONSTRUCTION Filed March 10, 1943 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR MM o-rr-J -q H w April 1945 s. c. HOLSTON Q 2,372,951

DRAWER SL IDE AND LATCH CONSTRUCTION Filed March 10, 1943 I 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 WWW b9 INVENTOR.

Va-v-A am M Patented Apr. 3, 1945 DRAWER SLIDE AND LATCH CONSTRUCTION Samuel Holston, Cincinnati, Ohio, assignor to .The Liebel-Flarsheim Company, Cincinnati, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application March 10, 1943, Serial No. 4%;676

' 4 Claims.

This invention relates to drawer constructions which, although they may be used for a variety of purposes, are espec'ial'ly'suitable as catch basins in operating or surgical tables. The invention is directed particularly to a releasable catch device by means of which the drawer is withheld against movement in a given position in which it may be set, and the invention further is directed to a simple catch releasing structure that the doctor or attendant may operate with one hand in a convenient manner.

The invention is disclosed in relation to a .surgical table in which the drawer is located at the forward end beneath the ta'ble for extension toward the doctor when required. It has been a rincipal objective to provide a reliable catching and releasing'mec-hanism fort-he drawer by means of which the doctor may open the drawer conveniently with one hand or the other duringan operation, or close it when it interferes with him.

A preferred embodiment of the invention com prises a drawer which is slidably mounted in a stationary way or channel. The drawer has a rod extending longitudinally along a side of it, pivotally mounted for movement of one end of the rod toward and from a portion of the stationary Way when the other end of the rod is caused to move in opposite directions. At one end, the rod carries a catch or friction member arranged to engage apertures, notches or surfaces in or on the stationary way, whereby the drawer is held or restrained against movement or released and, at the face of the drawer, a handle is provided through which an operating lever passes for moving the rod to operate the catch.

The handle preferably is of 'U-shape construction with the operating lever passing longitudinally through it across the drawer face and carrying a push button at its one end adjacent a leg of the handle in such a position that the push button is accessible to a persons thumb when the persons fingers grasp the handle,

Other details and features of the invention are disclosed in the drawings forming part hereof in which the invention is illustrated in relation to a surgical table of the kind used for genitourinary purposes. i

In the drawings:

Figure l is a perspective view of the table having a drawer and the holding and releasing mechanism therefor built into it.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary side elevation of the drawer and holding and releasing structure.

Figure 3 is a sectional plan View.

Figure sis-a sectional clevationillustrating the pivotal. mounting of the operating rod taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary sectional elevation taken on the line 55 of Figure 2-and illustrates the suspension -of the drawer in a-stationary way 7 provided for it.

The table illustrated in Figure -1 comprises a standard or baseof the usual type, indicated generally at l, and a table 2 which, being pivotally hung through bearings 3, may be tilted in the usual manner as by operationofthe hand' wheel 4'.

The drawer to which the present invention is addressed is designated 5'. It maybe seen that it is necessary to hold "the drawer positively from sliding in its ways especially when the table is in a tilted position. It is sometimes necessary that the drawer be part way open to serve as a catch basin during operations; at such times the i drawer must be held positively lest it slide open to interfere with the surgeon; sometimes the drawer is closed at the start of a-n'operation and must be opened as the operation progresses. For

these reasons it is desirable that the holding mechanism may be released in a convenient manner by the surgeon.

For this purpose the drawer 5, which is a conventional box-shaped unit having side walls ii, a bottom wall I, inner end wall 8, and a drawer front 9, is suspended from the table upon stationary supports designated generally at P0. In the preferred .-construction, runner members H extend outwardly from the respective sidewalls 6 of the drawer in parallel relationship to ride within stationary ways 1'2. fastened toand supported by 2 bar elements i3, one for each side of the drawer, and the latter are carried byrai-lmembers M depending from the table '2. the-preferred construction just described, the stationary ways l2 are channel members facing the drawer while runners l I face and fit within the channels [2 to form a cavity therewith in which a catch rod I5 is located. As shown best in Figure 2, the runners I I are located on the drawer sides at an incline such that the drawer bottom is inclined for drainage purposes when the table is in a horizontal position.

As shown in Figures 3 and 4, catch rod I5 is a lever extending longitudinally of the drawer within channel II, with its lower surface resting on the inside face of the bottom portion of the runner channel. The lever is pivotally mounted on the pivot I6 as, for instance, intermediate the upper and the lower members of the channel I I. If desirable, a plate I! may be fastened to a face These in turn are of the catch lever at the area adjacent the pivot point to prevent undue weakening of the lever through passage of the pivot bore and to reenforce the rod against bending.

The lever I5, through the pivotal mounting just described, is movable in unison with the drawer and is also movable on its own pivotal axis. The forward portion of the lever extends slightly be yond the drawer front as at l8 and, at the opposite side of the pivotal axis, a leaf spring I 9 is fastened to the lever with its free end pressing against a face thereof, thereby providing a yieldable urge upon the lever. The rearward portion of the catch lever is provided with a catch pin 20 which is arranged to engage any one of a number of notches or apertures 2| provided in the stationary way [2 such that when the catch pin enters a given aperture or notch the drawer is withheld against all sliding movement. In

lace of employing notches or apertures to constitute the positive restraining elements a frictiongrip or clutch may be employed.

At the face of the drawerahandle 22 is located. This handle preferably is of U-shape and is held in spaced relationship from the drawer front through 1egs 23. Y The handle 22 has a bore extending longitudinally through it and a releasing rod 24 passes through the bore with its one end being fastened to the catch lever I at the projecting portion l8 of it, while the opposite end carries a press button 25 adjacent a leg 23. The press button preferably is located at the left-hand side of the handle so. that a doctor placing the fingers of his left hand under the handle from the underside has his thumb positioned for engagement with the button 25 or, conversely, placing the fingers of his right hand up over the handle has his right hand thumb positioned for engagement with the button.

The releasing rod emerging from the end of the handle 22 is bent down along the adjacent leg 23 and then bent again to lie along the drawer front 9; it is connected to the catch lever through a threaded counterturned portion in a conventional manner, a shoulder formed at the counterturned portion embracing one face of the operating lever while a nut 26 is carried by the rod at the other side of the lever to clamp the lever to the rod.

' Leaf spring l9 urges catch pin 20 toward the surface in which the apertures 21 are located; in other words, it tends to move the catch lever toward a position in which the drawer will be caught a soon as the pin 20 is aligned with an aperture. To release the drawer the operator presses button 25 in adirection longitudinally of thehandle and thereby pivotally shifts the catch rod to withdraw pin 20 from an aperture in which it may be engaged to free the drawer. It is to be observed that a momentary pressing of the button coupled with a simultaneously partial outward or inward movement of the drawer withdraws and displaces pin from a holding position and the forward face of the pin may then ride upon the stationary way until it finds another aperture or notch within which to seat itself.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. The combination with a drawer having a front face. of a lever extending longitudinally of the drawer and pivotally mounted thereon at a 'point intermediate the ends of the drawer, a

handle mounted on said drawer front, an operating rod for actuating said lever passing through said handle into side connection with said lever at one side of the pivotal axis thereof, and catch means for said drawer mounted on the lever at the other side of said pivotal axis.

2. The combination with a drawer having side walls and a bottom and front end of a runner extending longitudinally of the drawer, a lever extending longitudinally'of said runner and pivotally mounted thereon at a point intermediate the ends of the drawer, a handle mounted on the front end of the drawer, an operating rod extending across the front of the drawer from said lever through said handle at one side of said pivot, means accessible from the handle for operating said rod, and means carried by said lever at the opposite side of said pivot constituting a catch for enga ing a stationary drawer guide.

3. The combination with a drawer having a.

front end and a side wall, of a runner extending longitudinally along the side wall for supporting said drawer from a stationary way, a lever pivotally mounted intermediate its ends upon said runner, a handle mounted on said drawer front, an operating rod extending across said drawer through said handle into engagement with said lever for pivotally operating it, the said lever at a point on the other side of its pivotal axis having means constituting a catch for cooperating with a stationary way on which said runner is supported.

4. The combination, with a drawer having side walls and a front end, of runner extending longitudinally of said drawer on said side walls, one of said runners constituting a channel member, a lever pivotally mounted on said channel member at a point intermediate the ends of said drawer, means for biasing said lever toward one position, a handle on said drawer front, an operating rod extending across said drawer front and through said handle, said rod being connected with said lever for moving it against said biasing means, andcatch means carried by said lever at the side of its pivot point which is opposite said operating rod for engaging a stationary way to constitute therewith a drawer catch.

SAMUEL C. HOLSTON. 

